During a typical bat swing, energy is stored in the bat in the form of kinetic and potential energy. The kinetic energy is stored in the form of momentum, and the potential energy is stored in the form of axial bat deformation resulting from acceleration of the bat mass. This deformation is similar to that which occurs when a spring is compressed. When the spring is released, the potential energy is converted back to kinetic energy and therefore adds an acceleration component to the bat prior, most preferably just prior, to contact with the ball. The timing of the release of this energy is important to bat design, and is related to the “kick point” of the bat. The kick point is the point of maximum curvature in the ball bat resulting from inertia that occurs during rotation of the bat.
Low kick point bats (i.e., bats where bending occurs just above the hands) can deliver high energy but are often prone to lagging, and as a result, poor general bat performance. For example, players will tend to foul pitches off or hit balls weakly to the opposite field when using low kick point bats. High kick point bats (i.e., bats where bending occurs closer to the barrel) often lack sufficient recoil energy to be effective, since typical bat diameters at this location are relatively large, and such bats are therefore very stiff in this region. Thus, a need exits for a bat that exhibits improved flexure and kick point characteristics.